Join us at Ty Mawr for a night under the stars observing the Perseid Meteor Shower in aid of Velindre Cancer Care on the 12th August!
We are delighted to invite you to an evening of star gazing at Ty Mawr in aid of Velindre Cancer Care. The evening will include a Planetarium, talks and observing of the Perseid Meteor Shower!
The event will being at 7pm, while we wait for night to fall there will be a presentation in the Planetarium as well as talks including pictures and examples of space rock!
The Planetarium can take up to 25 people in each session, so we will be offering multiple session dependent on numbers, it is accessible by all, but those who do not feel comfortable sitting on the floor we can allocate chairs. Please note once the talk in the planetarium starts you should not expect to leave until the presentation is complete.
There will also be talks on the origin of meteors and meteorites, supported by lots of pictures and a collection of rocks from space that you can handle while they are explained.
If you have your own instruments (telescopes, binoculars etc.) then by all means feel free to bring these along. If you need assistance or instruction on how to use them then this is not a problem we will be happy to assist you with this.
For meteor watching a deck chair or lounger is ideal or a ground sheet/blanket, anything that allows one to relax and look at the sky for an extended period.
Please remember that it can be cold of an evening even in August, remember to bring plenty of layers to wrap up warm, during shows, talks and observation of the showers!
Please note that this is a ticketed event only £20 for adults and £10 for children, food included, camping (£5 per head) is available but limited, and cooked breakfast if required (£5) are additional!. If you would like to book a space please email bethany.evans@lime.org.uk
We are very grateful to the Usk Astronomy Society who will be bringing along their Planetarium and observing equipment.
All proceeds of the evening will go to Velindre Cancer Care
If you are unable to attend but would like to donate please go to:
mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/joycemorgan-gervis1
Some fun facts on the Perseid Meteor Shower!
The Perseid meteor shower is perhaps the most beloved meteor shower of the year for the Northern Hemisphere
The Perseid meteor shower appears in the second week of August every year and has been doing so for at least 2000 years according to human records.
It is the remains of the tail of the comet Swift Tuttle that will have passed through the Earth's orbit in prehistoric times. All that is left is bits of dust that produce the streaks of meteors as they burn up in the earth's atmosphere.
The shower is named after the constellation of Perseus, from where the meteors appear to emanate.
Perseid meteors tend to strengthen in number as late night deepens into midnight, and typically produce the most meteors in the hours before dawn.
The Perseid meteors radiate from a point in the constellation Perseus the Hero, but, as with all meteor shower radiant points, you don’t need to know Perseus to watch the shower; instead, the meteors appear in all parts of the sky.
They are typically fast and bright meteors. They frequently leave persistent trains.
Being rich in bright meteors makes the Perseid shower a good target for imaging. Video observers in particular will benefit - they can even record bright meteors with the Moon inside their field of view!
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